


i don't wanna break the heart of any other man but you

by VanityRuins



Category: Hades (Video Game 2018)
Genre: Fluff and Angst, Friends With Benefits, M/M, Porn with Feelings, kinda pwp but with plot
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-10-18
Updated: 2020-10-18
Packaged: 2021-03-09 04:48:20
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,150
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27068908
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/VanityRuins/pseuds/VanityRuins
Summary: Thanatos was well acquainted with the last rush before something came to meet its ending. Mortals had a tendency to hold onto memories, flashes of feelings, before letting themselves be dragged to their unavoidable fate.He watched Zagreus crawl upstairs, soaked in crimson rage and pain. His eyes reflected that light he liked to admire so much but this one didn’t flicker at the sight of his gloomy presence.
Relationships: Thanatos & Zagreus (Hades Video Game), Thanatos/Zagreus (Hades Video Game)
Comments: 6
Kudos: 164





	i don't wanna break the heart of any other man but you

**Author's Note:**

> This is a self-indulgent fic because I've been playing this game and these two and their constant pinning is going to be the end of me. Title comes from the song Sinner's Prayers by Lady Gaga.

Thanatos was well acquainted with the last rush before something came to meet its ending. Mortals had a tendency to hold onto memories, flashes of feelings, before letting themselves be dragged to their unavoidable fate. 

He used to gaze into the fading light inside their eyes and wonder what was the point of doing that. Everything dies and memories were not an exception. 

In fact, memories had the annoying quality of dying constantly. Whenever your mind focused on something entirely different, they vanished like sand slipping through slender fingers. They died over and over again, caught on a stubborn cycle of rising and falling.

He couldn’t comprehend. It doesn’t matter how hard he tried.

He watched Zagreus crawl upstairs, soaked in crimson rage and pain. His eyes reflected that light he liked to admire so much but this one didn’t flicker at the sight of his gloomy presence.

"Hey!” Zagreus waved his hand.

“A trap, huh?” Thanatos couldn’t hide his smirk. 

The prince rolled his eyes.

“I don’t want to talk about it,” Zagreus sat on the steps, legs under the river’s blood-red waters. “News... or may I say _gossip_ travels fast.”

Thanatos watched the back of Zagreus’ neck, carmine drips rolled down and under his clothes. He bit his lips before taking a step closer to his friend.

“Hypnos told me just now. He’s sleeping again though.”

Zagreus giggled and looked up, his smile made Thanatos feel things he didn’t want to acknowledge yet.

“I have to be more careful,” he moved his feet creating tiny waves around his figure, “I was trying to avoid a spear and then a trap pierced my chest.” 

Thanatos furrowed his eyebrows at the mental image.

He watched him die 49 times since he started his quest. Death roamed around the places where his beloved laid, cold fingers caressed blood stained walls and plinths. Sometimes he could savor the warmth, a ghostly heartbeat coming back to life under the relentless waters of Hades’ realm to make the same mistakes again.

Thanatos wanted to forget the piercing pain pulsating inside his soul at the thought of Zagreus dying. He wanted him to forget too. 

He was getting tired of hearing him sob, tired of feeling his hand closing around his arm whenever it hurt too much. He couldn’t understand him, he couldn’t understand his stubbornness.

“Why do you keep trying, Zag?”

He didn’t mean to say it out loud but he did. His friend blinked twice, his wet hair was sticking against his face but he could see his surprised reaction despite that. 

“You know the answer,” he stood up to face him, “it’s not pride or anything similar that’s driving me to do this. It’s something entirely different and I don’t expect you to understand.”

Thanatos stared at him, lips pressed forming a thin line, colder than ice silence surrounded both men. Zagreus sighed at the lack of reply and then he walked past him, leaving a red trail behind before entering his chamber. 

His words echoed inside Thanatos’ skull. He was right, he could see the lack of pride in his actions. Despite the many fights won, taunts and flashy commentaries there wasn’t a glimpse of pride inside Zagreus’ actions. 

He was right. He didn’t understand but he wanted to.

Practiced overconfident steps echoed through the halls, some souls trembled at the sight of his figure meanwhile others stared in awe. He couldn’t let this conversation die like this, he knew Zagreus since they were kids and he recognized every change in his voice. Every hint of sadness, all the shades of blue he could go through — Thanatos knew them all. 

He stood up in front of the entrance to Zagreus’ private chambers trying to organize his words, separating his feelings from his role as a friend. Ripping them apart hurt as much as separating blade from flesh, he couldn’t stop pouring emotions out of the open wound. 

His hand closed against his chest, pressing against the imaginary hole tearing him apart. 

“Don’t you have work to do?” A familiar voice startled him. 

He turned around to face his brother. 

"Shut up.”

Hypnos giggled, “I was just asking!”

Thanatos saw the annoying man floating around him as if he were part of an exposition. His patience started to escape through his nose with every breathing he was letting out.

“WHAT?!” He snapped, his voice louder than usual made everyone around them direct a curious glance at both men.

Thanatos only lowered his head as an apology.

“You’re a baby,” Hypnos mocked him, “you may be older than me but you’re still a kid.”

“Don’t call me kid.”

“It doesn’t change the fact that you’re a kid when it comes to feelings.”

Thanatos scoffed, crossing his arms and looking away from the mess of a brother he had. He wanted to leave so badly but he couldn’t find any escape route. His eyes fixated on the door across the hallway wondering if Zagreus would let him in. 

He wished he would. 

“I’m trying to fix that but you interrupted with your nonsense.” He explained as Hypnos turned his head from side to side in front of him.

Silence settled in for a few seconds making him wonder if his brother fell asleep again until he spoke again.

“Oh!” 

Hypnos’ eyes opened wide enough for Thanatos to remember the color of his irises, he was always napping; he barely saw him with open eyes. 

“I’m sorry! Go, go, go! Don’t let me down!”

He got pushed inside Zagreus’ chambers with such a strength he didn’t know Hypnos had. The prince stood up in the middle of the room, eyes focused on both siblings as he raised an eyebrow. 

Hypnos waved his hand at Zagreus before flying away, letting a flustered Thanatos standing there like a fool. He took a mental note to make his brother pay for this before opening his mouth to explain it all to his friend.

“Don’t bother,” Zagreus shut him up, Thanatos made a face at the coldness in his tone, “I heard everything. I know you have a hard time expressing yourself. I was way too sensitive, it’s okay.”

He sighed, eyes escaped from Thanatos’ face just like the souls of the mortals did. 

“It’s okay, Than.” Zagreus repeated.

The room seemed to shrink around them making Zagreus seem like a little kid in trouble, with his hands dirty and his blade broken. Hades would scold him for being way too emotional, letting himself be dragged along by his feelings to the point of being too careless.

Thanatos moved closer to him like he should’ve done whenever he saw his friend leaving to his chamber with tears rolling down his cheeks.

“It’s not, Zag. I’m sorry, I didn’t want to question your purposes. I wanted to understand them.”

He explained and Zagreus smiled, one of his precious smiles that made Thanatos feel like if he knew what spring felt like after years of lurking in the shadows between death and doom. 

“Thanks? I didn’t expect you to care for my life purposes that much.”

“Of course I do!” He pressed his mouth shut after realizing what he just confessed. “I mean… you know what I mean.”

Zagreus raised an eyebrow playfully, “I don’t know what you mean. Care to explain?”

Thanatos started chewing his bottom lip, the lights around them seemed to hypnotize him like a mirrorball. He jumped when warm arms closed around his waist, it was way too hard to keep trying to be cool about it but he kept faking it as if he were a natural. Truth be told, he was melting away by the mere proximity of Zagreus to his body.

“Than? Are you still here?”

He stared down at his friend, strong arms covered him making release impossible. Winter like fingers pressed against traces of red stains on Zagreus’ cheeks.

“I care for you.” He mumbled. “I know I said we needed time to talk about _this_ ,” he moved his hands on a circle around their tangled bodies, “but I want you to know that I care.”

Zagreus stared at him for a few seconds before bursting into laughter. 

“You’re hopeless,” the prince said, “you truly are hopeless.”

Thanatos opened his mouth to protest but soft lips pressing against his stopped him from doing it. Zagreus kissed him slowly, savoring him as if he weren’t made of ashes and dust. His lips pressed and pulled, letting him know that it was okay and many other things Thanatos didn’t catch at first because he was too busy remembering to reciprocate.

His hands closed around Zagreus’ cheeks and his heart melted when the other rested his face against his right palm. He kissed him back with the same enthusiasm, pushing his tongue to taste the fire inside the prince’s mouth. There weren’t many things worthy of his devotion but kissing Zagreus was one of them; Zagreus was always worthy.

It was him. Always him.

Thanatos could’ve tried his whole existence to avoid the roads leading to him but he knew that it didn’t matter how much he denied it; all of them lead to him. 

His hand roamed under Zagreus’ clothes touching his abdomen, it didn’t last long until Zagreus took that as an invitation to jump on him. He held Thanatos by his arms and pushed him until he was sitting down on his bed.

“Are you sure?” Thanatos whispered, his breathing already affected by the kissing. 

Zagreus nodded before sitting down on his lap.

“Are _you_ sure?” He replied back, eyes burning with desire.

Thanatos’ hands held him by his hips as he reached to bite into his neck, fangs sinking deep into smooth skin. Zagreus let out a soft moan as he pulled down Thanatos’ hood.

“I suppose that is a yes, Mr. Let’s Take This Slow.”

Thanatos laughed, biting him again before licking the bruised area.

“Don’t pretend we didn’t do this before,” he looked at the man sitting on his legs with a sarcastic grin painted on his lips, “when I said slow I was referring to the other stuff.”

“Hmm,” Zagreus’ fingers roamed around Thanatos’ hair before pulling it back, “other stuff as in feelings, am I right?”

Thanatos hummed in reply, one hand let Zagreus’ hip, only to settle on his cheek. His thumb caressed the prince’s lower lip with tenderness.

“Isn’t it obvious?” Zagreus kissed Thanatos’ thumb, “Tell me, Than, isn’t it obvious that we have feelings for each other?”

“Feelings are complicated for someone like me who’s constantly seeing them achieve nothing.”

“I’m not mortal, remember?”

“That doesn’t stop you from dying,” Thanatos bit his lip, “and that doesn’t stop my heart from breaking every time.”

Zagreus remained quiet for an eternity (in Thanatos’ mind) before grabbing the other man’s face and kissing him desperately; almost apologetic. His heart was pouring out all over them, Thanatos couldn’t even match with the intensity of the storm roaring against his lips and tongue, so he let himself be consumed by it.

“I didn’t know,” the prince muttered in between kisses, “I should’ve realized sooner.”

“It’s okay, Zag.” Thanatos’ hands held him against his chest, Zagreus’ legs around his waist pushing them even closer.

“It’s my turn to say it’s not okay, my friend.” His hands caressed Thanatos’ cheeks as if he were cleaning ghostly teardrops.

Thanatos searched for his mouth one more time, all sweet and comforting — or at least, for a short period of time because Zagreus couldn’t help but buck his hips against the other’s leg. 

He went back at biting his neck, watching the wall size mirror reflecting their tangled bodies. A spark of lust hit him across his body when he saw Zagreus’ hips moving slowly against him. He licked his lips and started to help him, both hands pressing firmly.

“Want to move there?” Zagreus’ voice was hoarse, it made Thanatos shiver. 

“Sorry, didn’t hear you.” 

He couldn’t move his eyes away from the reflection.

“I asked,” Zagreus moved his chin, taking his sight away from the intertwined lovers in front of them, “if you want to fuck me in front of the mirror.”

Thanatos’ breath got caught inside his throat, only managing to nod for at least 5 seconds non-stop before Zagreus took his hand and dragged them in front or the gift his mother gave him for his birthday.

It was a birthday, right? 

His mind barely worked. He only saw Zagreus removing his clothes as he reached to hug him from behind, a cold hand playfully slipping down in between his legs.

He moaned way too loud, making Thanatos worry but he didn’t let it get him. The image in front of him was a delight, the way his friend rolled his eyes back and his mouth shaped a perfect circle made his mouth water. 

Zagreus started trembling as soon as Thanatos pushed inside him, fingers pressed his walls and opened their way around a familiar warmth. It wasn’t their first time, that was true. They did this and other stuff way too many times since they were teenagers, it all started with kisses and ended with them in the other’s arms, moaning and searching for release.

Thanatos didn’t care about Zagreus having other partners and Zagreus felt the same about him. They ended up coming back to the other, sooner or later. As if the Oracle cursed them with an unbreakable bond destined to last until the final star collided in the black sky.

He kissed his cheek when Zagreus started sobbing and he bit his shoulder when he came. The image in front of them burned inside Thanatos’ brain

“Your turn.”

Zagreus intertwined their fingers, leading him to his bed and positioning him against dozens of pillows. Thanatos blushed at the sight of his friend between his legs — such a heavenly sight in a place where paradise seemed to be banned from the local vocabulary.

It didn’t take him much to remove all of his clothes but he knew Zagreus liked to tease him, so he settled in between the pillows and closed his eyes. His body jumped when he felt a wet sensation nibbling inside his thigh, nails digging into cloth.

“I know I shouldn’t talk in a time like this but,” Thanatos opened one eye to look at his lover, “let me tell you, Than, you look astounding.”

“I could say the same about you, my dear.”

Zagreus smiled, a genuine smile, before getting back to work. Teeth started to pull soft skin until Thanatos was practically begging for him to do something else.

He let out a long moan when he felt Zagreus’ mouth all over him. It felt too good, it made him forget about guests roaming outside the chamber. It made him forget about everything, truth be told.

He only cared about the man in between his legs, worshipping him as if he were one of his most loyal devouts. Almost as if he weren’t a friend but an enemy, wanting to tear him apart, wanting him to submit — it pained him to admit that he would. He would submit to him if the time arrived. 

Thanatos covered his mouth with his free hand, the other kept pulling Zagreus’ hair as he tried to thrust at the same rhythm the other’s tongue devoured him.

Tears filled his eyes as he refused to let go and in that moment he started to comprehend the stubbornness of mortal souls; always clinging with claws and teeth to the memories, to the futile moments. 

Zagreus stared at him, both hands holding Thanatos’ thighs in place. His eyes resembled the same strength he used to collect human souls; they were burning with determination and power. It made him tremble to the core.

He came at some point, panting Zagreus’ name against his palm. He felt as if he was dying, falling into a void, until his friend reached to kiss him; wet lips pulled him back to life.

Zagreus laid on his side next to him, carefully he started separating silver locks from Thanatos’ forehead.

“Don’t you have work to do?” He whispered, making Thanatos grumble.

“Why is everyone reminding me of my duties?” 

He turned his head to stare at the prince.

“Do you want me to leave?”

Zagreus’ eyes opened up in surprise.

“No!” he yelled before launching himself on top of Thanatos. “Stay.”

“Fine.”

“How was it?”

“Huh?” Thanatos raised an eyebrow.

“Did you enjoy it?”

He escaped from Zagreus’ curious stare, cheeks started to turn bright red. It was such a weird topic for him; if it weren’t for the man laying on top of him he would’ve floated away already.

“Yes,” he coughed; voice still hoarse, “it was good.”

“You’re really cute when you’re flustered, Than.” Zagreus’ mischievous smile made his blush even worse.

“Fine, stop that.”

Zagreus started laughing, “It isn’t our first time doing this,” he mocked him, “why are you blushing?!”

“It’s our first time cuddling afterwards.”

“Oh.”

“Don’t just say ‘oh’!”

His two colored eyes turned into a poem to the warmth of a fireplace amidst a snowstorm. His cheeks copied Thanatos’ but his shade of pink looked prettier in Death’s eye.

“You’re the one blushing now,” Thanatos couldn’t stop himself from grinning.

“Ah, shut up! Leave if you’re going to make fun of me!”

Both men laughed, their bodies started to calm down as their breathing went back to normal. Peace seemed like a good option for the meantime, Thanatos thought while staring at the ceiling. 

He could focus on his duties later.

“I couldn’t leave even if I wanted to,” Thanatos’ fingers played with Zagreus’ hair, “you’re getting stronger, Zag. I can’t barely move my body.”

“At least all this trying is giving its rewards.”

Thanatos sighed, “I hope it gives you what you truly desire.”

And he meant it, he truly did — even if it meant losing him forever. Even if it meant not seeing him roaming around the halls and gardens, fighting shadows and making bad jokes to his brother.

He could live without Zagreus but gods, he didn’t want to. It was selfish, it was pointless. It was far from correct but even Death recognized the power roaring inside a fearless and in love man.

It doesn’t matter how much he denied it. He had it inside him and there was nothing else to do but yearn and pick up the pieces when there was no one left to hold.

Zagreus smiled, he lifted his head to give him a small kiss on the side of his mouth.

“I hope it does too.”

Thanatos held him close to his chest and closed his eyes. He prayed for Zagreus’ wishes to become a reality and deep down he prayed for one more thing: to be able to be by his side when the time comes.

**Author's Note:**

> @hellblazerh on twitter.


End file.
